The Effect of Sociodemographic Factors on the Quality of Life of Patients with Acute Phase Bipolar Depression in the Uttarakhand Region of Northern India

Abstract

This cross-sectional study was carried out to assess the effect of sociodemographic factors on domains of quality of life of the individuals living in the Uttarakhand region of northern India and diagnosed with moderate to severe acute phase bipolar depression (HAM-D scores>18). A semi-structured sociodemographic proforma, clinical profile sheet, and WHO Quality of Life Scale brief version (WHOQOL BREF) were applied to evaluate the overall quality of life of subjects in different domains including physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment. The mean HAM-D score for the study sample was 27.93 (SD, 8.035) and the mean overall quality of life score was 60.55 (SD,10.964). There was a significant difference between physical (t=2.209, p=0.033) and psychological domains (t=2.044, p=0.047) of the WHOQOL scale among genders. Marital status has a significant effect on the environmental domain (t=2.942, p=0.005), whereas respondents residing in hilly areas had a lower quality of life compared to non-hilly areas, although the difference is not statistically significant.